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So it wasn't araragi but shinobu how broke that chains, or at last helped him? Sometimes the way they animate it is really confusing.

It wasn't meant to be known it was Shinobu who did it until this scene. By the way, the anime took some artistic license there. In the novel there was just a pair of handcuffs, and Araragi had his arms chained behind his back. The anime makes it look cooler though.

Just when I thought Shinobu had stolen the show, Tsukihi walks in, slams the door shut, and returns with a smile and a kitchen knife. Honestly, what cracked me up wasn't the knife, it was the pot lid shield. What kind of fracas was she anticipating? More importantly, which of them was she planning on giving the business end of the Ginsu to?

Hanekawa is delightfully kind, yet unnerving as always. I miss the braids, but sometimes a girl's gotta make a change. Especially after getting her heart broken.

So much to get through with Shinobu's ample screen time. I guess I would be sullen and reserved too if I had to listen to Meme's stories all day. As an anime-only viewer, I can only speculate, but I'm guessing her sudden acting out shows that she's processed whatever has kept her looking so defeated and quiet for so many months, presumably her "defeat" or whatever it was at Oshio and Araragi's hands. Of note was her suggestion that Araragi should kill her to sever his link to the supernatural. Obviously that goes against everything he's about, but I have to wonder if she's really suggesting it for his benefit, or if she's just so miserable existing in her current state that she wants out. Either way, it's probably important that he does have an out, if she dies. I wonder, then, what happens if she kills him, as she's threatened to do? Is he keeping her alive, or keeping her chained?

All that aside, Maaya Sakamoto exceeded my sky-high expectations. "Ka-ka!" So haughty and disdainful, even when she's toying with Araragi. Even when she's clearly being affectionate, too, though how much of that is simply because she has no one else but him, I can't tell.

So much to get through with Shinobu's ample screen time. I guess I would be sullen and reserved too if I had to listen to Meme's stories all day. As an anime-only viewer, I can only speculate, but I'm guessing her sudden acting out shows that she's processed whatever has kept her looking so defeated and quiet for so many months, presumably her "defeat" or whatever it was at Oshio and Araragi's hands. Of note was her suggestion that Araragi should kill her to sever his link to the supernatural. Obviously that goes against everything he's about, but I have to wonder if she's really suggesting it for his benefit, or if she's just so miserable existing in her current state that she wants out. Either way, it's probably important that he does have an out, if she dies. I wonder, then, what happens if she kills him, as she's threatened to do? Is he keeping her alive, or keeping her chained?

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you can only speculate since Shinobu explained her reasons for snapping out of her sullen state in this episode. We also know what happened between her and Araragi from the first season, though the details are still unclear. It's a shame we didn't get to see Kizu before Nise, as I'm sure it would have given us a deeper understanding of their fascinating relationship.

You bring up a good point. It's been stated that Araragi would become a normal human again if he killed her (something he obviously never do), but we don't know what would happen if she killed him. I imagine she would die since it looks like she can't live without him.

This is probably the most obvious thing to say about this episode, but the thing that stuck out to me the most was the clarification of what exactly Tsubasa said to the seemingly-prideful Hitagi that got her so freaked out at the end of the last episode. And of course, it's very simple: she basically threatened to take Koyomi away from her. And that's pretty much all she needed to say. I'm not sure if that says more about Tsubasa, about Hitagi, or about the sort of awkward understanding they have between the two of them revolving around Koyomi. But all in all, Tsubasa's very "mob boss" in this episode, and it reminds us all the more that, for all her talk, Hitagi's still just a girl in love. It's like how last episode they clarified (jokingly?) who the real "last boss" is -- nothing's as it seems.

I like how every room in Koyomi's house is like its own sort of theatre stage, complete with lighting, props, and careful staging of the "actors". All SHAFT works are very theatrical, but this episode was particularly high on that scale.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you can only speculate since Shinobu explained her reasons for snapping out of her sullen state in this episode. We also know what happened between her and Araragi from the first season, though the details are still unclear. It's a shame we didn't get to see Kizu before Nise, as I'm sure it would have given us a deeper understanding of their fascinating relationship.

You bring up a good point. It's been stated that Araragi would become a normal human again if he killed her (something he obviously never do), but we don't know what would happen if she killed him. I imagine she would die since it looks like she can't live without him.

I wonder how serious Hitagi's fear of Tsubasa's threat is? I mean, he nearly died refusing her in her arc. And it's not like Hitagi isn't trusting. It doesn't really bother her he spends a lot of time alone with other girls.

I wonder how serious Hitagi's fear of Tsubasa's threat is? I mean, he nearly died refusing her in her arc. And it's not like Hitagi isn't trusting. It doesn't really bother her he spends a lot of time alone with other girls.

I think it can be taken one of two ways. It's either that she's afraid for Koyomi's life... but I'm not sure just how likely that is with Tsubasa at this point. (Though she is trying to keep him away from Kaiki, so maybe? Tsubasa's clearly more of a force to be reckoned with than she lets on, cat demon notwithstanding.) Or she thinks on some level that Tsubasa has a chance of winning Koyomi over romantically, i.e. she's still not totally confident in Koyomi's love for her if the "opponent" is Tsubasa. Given the insecurity that subtly pervade her words and actions, perhaps it's a combination of both? Not sure... my interpretation was that it was more the latter than the former in Tsubasa's case, but I'm not sure.

*sigh* Loli vampire is so very yummy. And so incredibly CUTE with her hair up! I loved how she referred to the girls by their characteristics. 'Your tsundere' = Hitagi...XD Shinobu definitely owned this episode. Really now, what is it about loli, blonde vampires that makes them so irresistable...?

I'd risk being called a lolicon/pedo to watch more of Shinobu than to ever watch that abomination called 'Twilight'...